Left hold protest rallies against ‘murder of democracy’ in Bengal, Tripura

Agartala, July 24 (IANS) Left parties, as part of their nationwide protest against the “murder of democracy in West Bengal and Tripura”, held protest rallies in Tripura on Tuesday.

Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) Central Committee member Badal Choudhury said that goons of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party attacked their protest rally in Udaipur (in southern Tripura’s Gomati district) injuring 20 Left party members, some of them hospitalised with serious conditions”.

Gomati district police chief Avula Ramesh Reddy said that the Left parties organised the protest rally without permission and some unidentified men threw stones injuring two people including a policeman.

Addressing a protest rally here, another CPI-M Central Committee member Bijan Dhar said that a total lawlessness prevailing in Tripura after the BJP and IPFT (Indigenous People’s Front of Tripura) alliance government came to power in March.

“Democracy entirely throttled under the BJP-led alliance government. Despite attacks on opposition parties every moment, police remained inactive, administration continued to be silent,” said Dhar, who is also the state secretary of CPI-M.

The Left leader said attacks, clashes among BJP-IPFT workers in many parts of the state followed by road blockades, and agitations by the ruling party supporters disrupted normal life almost every day.

“Life and livelihood have been ruined due to the misgovernance of the BJP-IPFT government. People should be united against the violence, misrule and crisis of essentials,” Dhar added.

“Four CPI-M members and leaders have been murdered in four months of BJP-IPFT governance. Thousands of party members and supporters were attacked.”

According to Dhar, 1,000 Left activists, including 100 women, have suffered injuries.

“Around 750 offices of the CPI-M and Left parties have either been burnt, attacked or captured. Close to 200 offices of the Left mass organisations have been attacked and nearly 150 have been forcibly occupied.

“Pradhans, chairmen and elected members of various local bodies including the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council are being coerced either to resign or join the BJP,” Dhar added.

The Left parties held ‘dharna’ outside Parliament on Tuesday where top Left leaders across the country took part in the demonstrations.

According to the CPI-M leaders here, protest rallies were held in different parts of the country including West Bengal on the issue.